Keep Me in Your Prayers

Remember the best job ever? Yeah, me too. Except it ended unexpectedly April 4, two days after returning from my staycation. I'm in severe emotional distress. And, if I don't find a new job in the next month, I'll be in severe financial distress too. And homeless. I'm genuinely clueless on this so there really aren't any more details either on-blog or off. I'm only posting this depressing news because I'm selfishly hoping for tons of cheer-me-up comments. At this point, I still want to throw up about every 5 minutes.

Quick Pic

Does Dani think I'm nuts? (Don't answer that!)

I'm too tired (after a day a work, a stop at the store for some dinner items, cooking dinner, cleaning up, and then walking the dogs) to make it into the sewing room tonight to continue working on my dress tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Or maybe the weekend. I'll have to see how it goes.

But in the meantime, here's my new top and skirt as worn to the office today. You can see that one of the things I did NOT do while on vacation was get that long LONG overdue haircut. I'm a shaggy windblown mess. Partly because the weather is so nice right now that the car windows need to be down, but mostly because it's just too grown out. I thought I wanted to try longer hair again but every time I get to this point, I give up. I really think the shorter styles flatter me more, so I'll likely be calling for a hair appointment soon. Plus, who wants all this hair in Florida summer?

A Wild Hair

Yeah, of course the mojo came back on the LAST DAY of my vacation, in the form of the Metropolitan Verano dress from Hot Patterns. It's a quick sew, made quicker by the shortcuts I used (more on that later), and although it's nearly done, it's not quite all the way finished. I still have sideseams and hems to stitch, but I'm not in a hurry because this fabric screams summer and I'm not yet ready to don the bright prints. Although with the weather we're having now, that feeling may only last another week ... and a tube of self-tanner for the fish underbelly legs. ;-) 

I'm not happy with the neckline. I really need to remember this with Hot Patterns and do some slight redrafting before I cut fabric as I seem to usually have problems with their neckline widths and facings. The depth of the vee is OK here, but the facing wants to roll out. I'll probably end up topstitching it into submission and make a note to eliminate the facing altogether next time. (Hopefully topstitching will work and I won't have to eliminate the facing ... i.e., frog stitch ... this time.) I'll also draw the shoulder edges closer to the neck and have them meet in a more round shape rather than forming a "corner." I'm using a straight size 12 here, which really should not be too wide for me. And technically, it's not. It's just not shaped the way I prefer. But really, if that's the only thing I have to adjust, I'm not going to complain.

As for my shortcuts ...the line drawing below shows CF and CB seams. Totally not necessary as the seams are 100% straight up and down, so I eliminated them and saved myself some layout width and sewing time. Speaking of the cutting layout, the envelope calls for 2-3/4 yds of 60" wide knit. I had 2 yds of this print and ended up with enough scraps for a cami or a couple pairs of undies, which means I used far less than 2 yds for my size 12 pieces. I never believe cutting layouts and fabric recommendations for any pattern line so this doesn't bother me and I'm only noting it here for posterity.

Other "shortcuts" involve changing the construction order to make twisting the front come later so I could keep everything flat and easier to handle for the earlier steps.

There's only one review of this pattern on PR and both the reviewer and a commenter mention that the pattern runs big and the waist seam hits lower than expected. I think I've solved this by (1) cutting the straight 12 instead of morphing to 14 or 16 below the chest and (2) using a 1" seam allowance to join top and bottom pieces. I'll also be using that 1" seam allowance for an easier and faster elastic casing instead of following the instructions.

I haven't actually tried it on yet so all of this may be wishful thinking, but I didn't want to end my sewing time today on a bad note so I'll save that step for the next sewing session. Maybe tomorrow night if I'm not too exhausted after catching up at work.

Last Day

Today is the last day of my vacation. I know I needed the time off because I haven't really done much of anything. All the best laid plans, etc., but what I did the most of was nothing. A signal to my body/soul that I needed time to just vegetate. I'd been going pretty much non-stop for a year and a half.

Alex started a new job today I helped him get with a printer we use regularly for my job. It's weird to be home while HE is at work. LOL I've been thinking about him all morning and can't wait to hear how it all went when he gets home.

On the sewing front, the mojo just hasn't been there. Oh well. That's just how it goes sometimes. I did manage to eek out a couple of things and rework some others, and there's still the rest of today and, who knows, I just might get a wild hair. ;-)

I made this top, shown last post, and then made this skirt morph between my beloved Magic Pencil and the Neue Mode.

Instead of being pegged inward, using the NM shape flares out the hem a little. I again incorporated slits into the flare and topstitched the side seams with a triple straight stitch. It's still a boring brown skirt, but it has a little more visual interest now. And I wear brown at the office like NYers wear black so it's nice to have YABS in a lighter shade of brown.

Here's the one pattern piece, after morphing the two patterns together. If you have the MP, you can see how easy it is to change up the shape a bit.

Next, I "fixed" this HP Butterfly top that I made to wear on my last birthday. I wore it that day and then never wore it again because it was just too low and I felt like the middle of my bra was on display. It wasn't really, but every time *I* looked down, I could almost see my navel.

Originally, the tie was only attached at the back neck. I slid it under the neckline stitching and stitched on top of the coverstitching to hold the tie bands in place, effectively raising the neckline two inches. I think this will get worn now because I do still really like the shape of the top on me.

Next, while straightening up my closet, I found this wrap top that I made a few years ago. I always liked the fabric, which is 3D/textural - the "print" is a print but it's also separate little pieces fused to a black background. But I was never really fond of the top on me. And since I made it when I weighed a lot more, it certainly wasn't doing me any favors now. I tried it on and completely by accident noticed that when untied, that half looked a lot like a waterfall cardi.

So, I snipped it apart where the inside wrap was sewn to the sideseam and then snipped off the ties. And, voila! A waterfall cardi that I like a lot better. Since the fabric is 3D, the raw edges where I snipped don't even show. I think this will actually get worn now, even through summer as my office is always on the chilly side. A/C does that to us Floridians. We freeze when it's not 80 degrees.

I also resewed a CB seam on a skirt that needed reinforcement above the walking vent and I want to hem a pair of black pants that have been waiting in my closet for a year. Yeah, I'm bad with repairs/mending. I have good intentions but never motivation to do these tasks that take 15 minutes. Pitiful.

Frankenpattern: KS2694-Otto0207-Walmart

So, first things first. Here is the result of too many weekends spent car shopping. And the worst part? We both ended up buying from the first dealer we went to. lol Alex's is on the left - a blue/gray 2011 Mercury Milan. Mine is the other, a metallic gray 2013 Ford Focus hatchback.

This is the official Ford photo. It looks better than mine. (One would hope.) I like it. I don't love it yet. It wasn't my first choice but I needed to go with the Focus with the bigger rebate so I could pay off my previous car and not be upside down in it. I miss my old car. But it was time to let her go, since it was pushing 100K miles and I could "feel" things were starting to go. Don't misunderstand, it's definitely nice to have a new car and I do love the techno-geeky stuff inside. And I'm sure I will love the much-improved gas mileage.

So, on to sewing. Yes, there HAS been some sewing going on here. Not much, so this isn't really gonna be a true sewcation, but any sewing is more than I've done lately.

No, I did not make this top. I bought this one at Walmart a few weeks ago for $5. And I would wear it every stinkin' day if I could. I love it that much. So, all previous sewing plans went by the wayside (yes, I still have that humungous stack of Hot Patterns gathering dust now) as I decided I *had* to recreate it so I could have another one since Walmart only had this one print.

It's a crossover with an all-around empire seam. The front has fold-over facings. There is gathering on the crossovers below the bust and slight gathering center front on both top and bottom. Not so much that it screams maternity. Just enough that it flows over the middle-aged lumps nicely.

The back neckline has a self-fabric turned-down binding as a facing.

So I started digging through the pattern stash for an exact replica. Yeah, I didn't find one. Why is it with hundreds of patterns, we NEVER have the exact thing we want?

Kwik Sew 2694 was the closest.

I last made this almost TEN YEARS AGO. OMG time flies.(Speaking of which, Tuesday was the 1st anniversary of The Day Which Shall Not Be Mentioned. How can I be a year even older now? But it was a good day, spent in St. Augustine with my 3 sons. Yes, 3. My stepson is the one who lives in St. A. Tyler drove down for a long weekend with him. Alex went over Saturday and I joined them all on Tuesday.)

This is the photo from my 2004 review, in which I noted that the armholes were too low/wide. But the underbust seam was hitting at the right place so I thought this would be a good start for a morph. And guess what? I still have the tee so I could actually try it on again. I really don't know why I still have it since I don't think I've worn it since 2004. But sometimes the universe works these things out for you.

So I took out the KS pieces and laid them on my Ottobre TNT pieces and came up with new pieces. Mainly, it was using the Otto armholes/sleeves on the general shape of the KS front. Which I then slash/spread to create the underbust gathers like the Walmart top. I added a fold-on facing to the top section and some additional CF width to the bottom piece. None of this was scientific. I just eyeballed it all. I also decided the empire seam on the back did nothing and wouldn't show in a print anyway, so I just used the Otto back piece as-is, except for widening the shoulders inward toward the neck to match the front of the KS/Otto morph, which meant I re-traced that piece too.

And the finished result? Perfect! It fits JUST LIKE the Walmart top, which in this case, is a really good thing.

Here's a close-up of the gathering.

And the insides. Where, if you're paying attention, you can see that I "fixed" the wrap to be right over left, as it should be. The Walmart top actually crosses left over right. But I never even noticed that until today. Proving that we're a lot less picky about RTW than our own makes. Remember that!

Here's the back, sans empire seam. Which will never be missed, and saved a few steps in pattern morphing and construction.

I still need to coverstitch the hems. The bottom "hem" you see here is merely glued up and waiting for me to change threads on the CS machine, which I'll do after I post this so I can finish the top.

Next up, another morph. A skirt from a mix of the Magic Pencil and Neue Mode. I wear the black Neue Mode skirt ALL the time and it's time for YABS (yet another brown skirt). I won't count them if you won't. ;-)

I'm here

No sewing since my last post. Work was busy, busy, busy. Life has been busy. And then throw in car shopping for not one, but TWO cars (me and Alex). I'm pooped!

As of last weekend Alex is set, but I'm still shopping and don't know if I'll end up with something new. It's such a pain in the butt and I'm losing motivation.

But I'm now on a staycation until April 2 and I'm hoping to turn it into a sewcation but first another trip to the car dealer today. Stay tuned ...

Ready for Takeoff!

This top is a lot more flattering in person and in motion. It has movement which doesn't show in still pics. I like it and it's comfortable, and I received at least 10 unsolicitations/compliments on it today. So it's a hit with the coworkers too. I definitely feel a 2-piece dress coming on at some point soonish. I can't tell you how many times I lifted my arms today like in the first pic ... just feeling goofy with the bat wings. LOL

I changed my mind about the brown skirt and pulled out the black instead. No real reason, except I was feeling the black more this morning.

Carolyn asked what happened to my sewcation. It's been put on hold until after the first week in March due to work obligations but it's coming. I just need to pick my dates. Maybe my birthday week? I think I need to schedule a haircut during that time too cuz I'm looking very shaggy. Yikes.

SIHPC Make #1 (HP1142)

The first make of my Self-Imposed Hot Patterns Challenge is done! Granted, it was the easiest out of the bunch, but I was just happy to get back into the sewing room. Work has been very busy, and I've gone into the office the last two Saturdays. And since last Sunday was the Superbowl, today was my first real opportunity for undivided stitching time.

I'

This top is VERY batwing and VERY '80s, but I think I like it. I used to wear similar tops IN the '80s which means I'm OLD, but it will be fun to be on trend even if for a second time. I'm planning to wear it with a solid brown skirt tomorrow, but it will go with a black skirt (or pants) too. Actually, it will go with many solid colors. 

As for the pattern -- it's pretty straightforward but it runs HUGE, so be forewarned. I was, since I read the reviews on Pattern Review, and I'll be sure to add my own review when I have a minute and a photo of me in it since those reviews definitely saved this trial version for me. I'm not sure what my current HP size is but I think I would've started with a 14 at neck and sized out to a 16 for hip. For this top, I traced and cut a straight 12. And it fits fine, including the hip/waist band, although it's still too wide in the neck so next time I will add to the shoulder at the neck edge to keep the bra straps covered. For this one, I'll be sewing in lingerie guards tonight while keeping an eye on Downton Abbey.

For this "muslin," I made a couple of small changes from the pattern instructions mostly as personal preference. First, I eliminated the center back seam and cut on the fold. There was absolutely no reason for a seam here, except to use the neckband method per the pattern -- which I also eliminated because I'd rather have a neckband sewn in the round than try to match/finish a CB neckband seam sewn as the back bodice seam. I coverstitched the binding seam allowance flat as you can mostly see in this blurry photo below.

I also eliminated the sleevebands since (1) the sleeves were going to be too long and (2) the size 12 sleevebands were going to have to be stretched beyond belief to fit the size 12 sleeve opening. If you DO decide to use bands to finish the sleeves, cut them a size or two up and/or pre-gather the sleeve opening before attaching to the band. Or, take the lazy way out like I did and just turn the edge under and coverstitch/stitch to create a casing for narrow elastic. Since the full sleeves blouse over the edge finish when worn, no one will see what method you choose anyway. ;-)

Here's the top lifted from falling over the hip/waist band to give an idea of how wide it is. I coverstitched here too.

I like this top, especially since I was fearing another sack could've easily resulted. I don't know if I could've stood another wadder. LOL It's a fast sew, which is also a plus for me right now.

I think it would make half of a fantastic 2-piece dress, with the Magic Pencil being the bottom half. I used to rock me some dropped waist dresses in the '80s (with the requisite linebacker shoulder pads!) and maybe I can again (sans the pads).

Self-Imposed Hot Patterns Challenge

I still haven't scheduled my sewcation, but it will have to be sometime after the first week of March as per the Big Boss because we have a LOT going on between now and then and apparently she can't live without me. ;-) And my official 1-year anniversary is in about 3 weeks so my review will be between now and then. I hope the can't-live-without-you feeling plays into that. (Read: raise!!) My unofficial anniverary is September 12 (when I started as a temp) so I will have been there almost 18 months by the time of my review. Time flies!

Update since I first wrote this: My review was today! It was glowing, and I received the highest raise percentage being given. It's not a huge number because of the current economy, but it's not terrible either so I'm good with it. The best part is my "hourly rate" goes up and with all the OT coming at me, that will make a significant difference.

Anyway, on the heels of my two/three wadders, I started going through my existing and soon-to-arrive Hot Patterns with the thought of actually using them, or re-using them in a new size. I pullIed out a lot that I want to make and will start before the actual sewcation. Who knows - I might actually be sick of this challenge by then, but I hope not because I really want to have these as finished garments in my closet.

Here's what's on the list, in no particular order except the first 4 are the new ones which I don't actually have possession of yet.

Depending on its arrival date, this will be the first or one of the first. I want this to work (waistband placement especially) so I will need to make an ugly muslin, especially since I don't really know what size I am with HP anymore. I think I want to make the dress to look like a blouse/skirt, so I need to assess the coordinating solids and prints available from the stash.

This may go toward the end of the list only because I see this as more summery. Of course, being Florida, summer will be here in just a minute.

This one will definitely need a muslin and the right fabric so I don't end up with a sack since I see it with a higher waist and more fitted than shown. I'm thinking laundered linen or rayon challis. We'll see.

This one is available for download but I didn't feel like printing and taping and thought the $3 additional was a good tradeoff for NOT doing that. I'm thinking this will be a quick project so it may take a place near the top of the list. Plus it will be new-to-me and I'm a magpie with shiny, new things. ;-)

I made this before in a knit but it's HUGE now and only being kept so I can better gauge a current sizing. I also want to make this in a drapey woven this time. I don't think I have anything suitable in the stash, so I'll be on the lookout.

I also made this one before and again it's too big. But it fit great before so I'm hopeful it will be successful in a smaller size. I'm thinking white or another solid linen. I'll have to check the stash.

This may or may not get made since it's the old sizing (Glamour Girl) and the reviews are mixed. I need to pull out the pattern pieces and evaluate before deciding.

Can you believe I do not have one Sunshine Top in my current wardrobe? All of my previous makes of my favorite HP are too big. Since my weekend wardrobe is severely lacking, I think it's time to size it down.

I made this once before and a fabric disaster kept it from being wearable. Plus it was made in a bigger size back then so even if it was wearable then, it wouldn't be now. It was a popular pattern back when it was first released and, really, who doesn't need another wrap/faux wrap dress?

Thinking of this for weekends and casual Fridays in a summery knit.

Another weekend contender. I made this one before too, but never wore it because it was too big. My sister loves it though. I think it deserves another attempt.

I tried the red version way back when and it was a disaster. I don't think I'm going to revisit that one but the tie front version intrigues me. A shorter top than shown in the drawing, or longer as a dress. I will muslin this one for sure since it has sack potential.

Ambitious, no? Let's see how this goes, and no promises that new patterns won't distract me in the middle. But if I can make my way through even half of this list, I'll feel like I've accomplished my goal.

Strike Two

Yeah. Two weekends of sewing. Two wadders.

To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this shapeless shift style (V8805) working for me. I was just lured in by the colorblocking and thought I'd try something outside the wheelhouse. I really should've known better. I know me. I KNOW what works on my body, and shapeless shifts are not it.

To make matters worse, I also got a wild hair this morning and decided to line the thing. Or rather, partially line it. Because if by some chance it did work, it was going to be Velcro butt to the max and n aturally I wanted to avoid that. I also substituted a better green for the green that came in the mail the other day. I do like the color combo, but that doesn't help the shapelessness even a little bit.

I shouldn't have bothered.

I'm thinking I *may* go ahead and hem it and then shorten the sleeves and call it a summer house dress. But I've got to cut out the lining for that because this dress is WARM and HEAVY, neither of which are things you want for a Florida summer dress. But before I do that, I'm going to try a chain belt around my waist and see if that helps at all. Probably not, but I've got nothing more to lose at this point.

I think (hope?) the wadders done now, since bad things come in threes and even though I've called this one Strike Two, it's really Strike Three. Oh, what's the third you ask? Remember that skirt I made a couple of weeks ago from the leftover poly print from Joann's. That's the third. I can't go to the bathroom in the thing. It needs a back vent because the hem width is fine to step into getting dressed in the morning, but if you have to hike it up in the loo to do your business (which you do), expect to spend a good 5 minutes wrestling the thing back down. Sheesh.

On the plus side, this pattern is nicely drafted and *might* make a good tee but I'd want to rotate the bust dart out. And, frankly, at the moment that's the last thing on my list.

Nope

It's going to the Goodwill pile.

It makes me look like a tree trunk. A wildly patterned tree trunk, but a tree trunk nonetheless.

Wadders happen.

Uh oh ...

... how did this happen? ;-)

Mr. and Mrs. HotPatterns live/work about an hour south of me so I'm hoping the fruits of my fall leap off the wagon will be here by next weekend.

In the meantime, the dress from last post still sits. I haven't been back to the sewing room since last weekend to even look at it. But my knits for the colorblocked dress arrived and are prewashing as I type. I have to say I'm NOT happy with the color of the green since I was expecting a more lime than I received. It'll do and is probably a better winter color, but it's not one of my favorite greens. I hope I'm not about to make another Zillie squatter.

Off to bed so I can get up early and start cutting tissue and fabric.

Stopping Point

I've nearly finished the dress (V8825) -- everything done except the hem -- but I'm stopping. I got to the point of trying it on and I wasn't loving it. It's a lot of dress. And the sash weighs a TON and doesn't want to stay in place at my waist so I'm going to have to come up with some sort of security/belt carriers.

Technically, it fits perfectly except the sleeves could be a smidgen shorter. When "researching," I noticed all the sleeves in the PR reviews were on the too-long side so I already shortened the pattern 1/2" before cutting out. I think another 1/2" would've been perfect. But I'm not sure if I'm even going to keep the sleeves. I love the *idea* of the bishop sleeves but in the print and on me and with the high-in-the-back neckline, I feel kind of swallowed up. (Plus it's that puffy time o'the month, which is NOT the time to be trying on new clothes. Argh. I thought turning 50 last year was supposed to put an end to that stuff. I mean, it's not like I'm contemplating any more babies. Oh the things we share on the blogs. LOL)

Now don't misunderstand, I think the dress *looks* great in the photo here and in person, and I do love me a print. But I think we've just spent too much time together today and we need a break from each other for the love to re-kindle. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. :-)

On the bright side, except for the previously-mentioned sleeve shortening, I made absolutely no alterations to the pattern. I cut the 16 for the upper half and morphed to the 18 at the hip, and that's it.

Back to work tomorrow. I'm not wearing anything new, but OMG ... LOVE!!. ... LOVE!! Mrs. Obama's "new clothes" today, didn't you?

McCall's 6397 #2 Finished and Stash Crash

After spending all day yesterday doing absolutely NOTHING more than 10 feet from my bed (reading, napping, catching up on the DVR), I was wide awake at 6 am this morning. After last week, I needed to recharge the batteries. Thankfully, I still have 2 days of weekend left (and a nice paycheck coming soon). Although most of the rest of today will be spent watching football,  I do plan to get into the sewing room in spurts to cut out the next pattern. More on that later.

Meanwhile, I did finally finish the dress. It had been collecting dust on Zillie for two weeks waiting for the sleeve bindings and hem, but it's now done. I will probably wear it as styled below, with this RTW blouse.When I do, I'll snap a pic of me in it.

The zipper everyone commented on is just a basic brass zipper with a "leftover" earring put through the pull. Without a jewelry ring to hold it place, it doesn't really work to actually pull the zipper without opening and coming out of the pull but it does stay in place and hang straight if it's not pulling the zipper. These used to be some of my favorite earrings until I lost one so I'm happy to be able to use the straggler for something more than making me growl when I see it in my jewelry dish.

Last post I was flip-flopping about a Style Arc pattern order when I didn't like the freebie o'the month. Well, the $34 shipping charge made me close the shopping cart immediately. Sorry Style Arc. I'm just not ready to plop down nearly $100 for 4 patterns. I know others love them but only a few of the styles interest me and even then, they are just not all that and a $34 shipping charge so I will continue to watch from the sidelines.

I noticed Vogue was on sale at the BMV website and I quenched my pattern lust with these. I ordered them Wednesday and they were here yesterday. Unbelievable speedy! If I had made it out to the mailbox before the day was nearly over, I might have even sewed yesterday but who wudda thunk they'd be here already?

Up next is the dress version of 8825 (lower left). After that, 8805 (bottom middle), with the fabrics below which will be arriving soon. I turned the screenshot upside down since this is how I plan to use them in the colorblocking.

Hopefully I'll be back before the work week starts again, and with something to show (and wear).